New ‘David’ Book Heading to the Big Screen
Warner Brothers options Rabbi David Wolpe’s book about the biblical hero
October 27, 2014
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Rabbi David Wolpe’s book, David: The Divided Heart, published last month as part of Yale’s Jewish Lives series, is heading to the big screen, thanks to the work of some of Wolpe’s well-connected congregants at Temple Sinai in Los Angeles. Variety reports that Warner Brothers optioned the movie rights to the book, which tells the story of the paradoxical heroism of King David, a leader who is revealed to have been far more flawed—and far less of an underdog—than he may have always been thought to be. (Wolpe spoke to Vox Tablet earlier this month about the book.)
According to Variety, one of the film’s producers, Mike Karz, is a longtime congregant at Temple Sinai, and Wolpe told him about the book before it was published. (After it was published, Kirk Douglas send a copy to the entire congregation.) Karz led the charge on securing the movie rights, and his production company is co-financing the film with Warner Brothers.
Russell Crowe’s Noah better look out: As Wolpe told Variety, “I cannot imagine a more cinematic figure from the Bible.”
Stephanie Butnick is the founder of GOLDA, a Jewish lifestyle newsletter. She hosted the Tablet podcast Unorthodox, co-authored The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between, and worked as a writer and editor at Tablet.
